Although holiday season is coming, the cost of living crisis means we’re all looking for ways to save money on our travels this year.
Whether it’s changing the sort of holiday we have, flying on a different day of the week or going somewhere else completely, millions of us will be looking at ways to make our seasonal break as cost-effective as possible.
One way you can save costs is by buying all your holiday essentials before you get to the airport – toiletries for example will work out a whole lot cheaper if you don’t buy them right before take-off.
It’s perfectly possible to get your washbag essentials for a decent price too thanks to deals on travel toiletries – but which store offers the cheapest deal?
We compared prices on seven everyday toiletries and holiday products – shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, deodorant, hand gel and sun cream, all in hand luggage friendly sizes, from six high street stalwarts
But whose worked out to be the cheapest?
Tesco
Tesco offers a range of smaller toiletries, with prices starting from just £1 each – although if you’re a Clubcard holder, you can take advantage of their ‘buy two, get one free’ offer.
If you’re stocking up on toiletries for your trip, here’s the cheapest you can get for your money there:
- Grab and Go hand gel: £1
- Tresemme Moisture Rich Shampoo 100ml: £1.50
- Tresemme Moisturising conditioner 100ml: £1.50
- Sanex Moisturising Shower Gel 100ml: £1.50
- Colgate Total original toothpaste: £1.50
- Nivea Deo Pearl and Beauty Spray 35ml: £1.50
- Soleil Sun lotion factor 50 50 ml: £2
Total: £10.50 without Clubcard/£8.00 with
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s comes in as slightly more expensive for its travel miniatures, although it does have a ‘buy 3 get cheapest free’ deal on selected products’.
Here’s what you can get and how much it’ll set you back:
- Carex hand gel 50ml: £1.30
- Tresemme Moisture Rich Shampoo 100ml: £1.50
- Tresemme Moisturising conditioner 100ml: £1.50
- Original Source Tea Tree and Mint/Coconut and Shea shower gel 50 ml: £1.50
- Colgate Total original toothpaste 20ml: £1.55
- Dove Invisible Dry anti-perspirant 75ml: £2
- Nivea pocket-size sun cream factor 30 100ml: £3.70
Total: £13.05 without offer/£10.25 with
Wilko
Like most of the other stores featured here, Wilko has travel toiletries on a 3 for 2 offer – but not all of its miniatures are included.
In order to get the cheapest possible price on your holiday essentials you’ll need to buy the cheapest products in the deal rather than those with the lowest price overall, in order to qualify for the discount. Here’s how it breaks down.
- Wilko original hand sanitiser 50ml: 25p
- Pantene Smooth and Sleek mini shampoo 90ml: £1.55
- Pantene Smooth and Sleek mini conditioner 90ml: £1.55
- Original Source Tea Tree and Mint shower gel 50ml: £1.50
- Colgate Total toothpaste 20ml: £1.55
- Sanex sensitive deodorant for women/Active control deodorant for men 50 ml: £1
- Skin Therapy factor 50 sun cream 50 ml: £3.50
Total: £10.90 without offer/£7.85 with
Superdrug
Once again Superdrug is offering 3 for 2 on selected travel miniatures – which means to get the best deal you’ll need to buy the ones included in the offer.
Here’s what you can expect to pay:
- Superdrug Sensitive antibacterial gel hand sanitiser 50 ml: £1.05
- Tresemme Moisture Rich Shampoo 100ml: £1.50
- Tresemme Moisturising conditioner 100ml: £1.50
- Original Source Tea Tree and Mint/Lemon shower gel 50ml: £1.50
- Colgate Max Fresh Cooling Crystals toothpaste 20ml: £1.50
- Nivea Deodorant pearl and beauty spray 35ml: £1.20
- Ambre Solaire factor 50 ultra-hydrating sun cream 50ml: £3.45
Total: £11.70 without offer/£9.45 with
Asda
Once again Asda has only selected travel items in its 3 for 2 offer, here’s the ones to go for to save yourself some pennies:
- Carex original hand gel 50 ml: £1
- Pantene Pro-V shampoo 90 ml: £2
- Pantene Pro-V conditioner 90 ml: £2
- Radox 2 in 1 shampoo and shower gel Feel Awake 60 ml: £1.50
- Colgate Total travel size toothpaste 20ml: £1.50
- Nivea Deodorant pearl and beauty spray 35ml/Nivea Cool Kick for men 35ml: £1.50
- Asda Protect factor 15 sun lotion 50ml/Asda Protect Kids Factor 30 sun lotion 35 ml £1.50
Total: £11 without offer/£8.50 with
Boots
The high street staple has 10 per cent off some of its cheapest travel minis as well as 3 for 2 on selected items. Here’s the cheapest deal you can get:
- Cuticura antibacterial hand gel 100ml: £1.03
- Tresemme Keratin Smooth Shampoo 100ml: £1.49
- Tresemme Keratin Smooth Conditioner 100ml: £1.49
- Dove Deeply nourishing body wash 55ml/Dove Men’s Body Wash 55ml: £1.50
- Everyday total care travel toothpaste 25ml: 50p
- Nivea Deodorant pearl and beauty spray 35ml: £1.49
- Ambre Solaire factor 50 sun cream 50ml: £3.47
Total: £10.97 without offer/£8.98 with
Who is the cheapest?
As it stands – and taking into account 3 for 2 offers – Wilko works out cheapest at just £7.85 for the cheapest versions of the seven essentials, complete with 3 for 2 discount.
They’re followed by Tesco at £8 for the items – although this only applies if you are a Clubcard holder.
Sainsbury’s is the most expensive at £10.25.
Travel toiletries – cheapest to most expensive
- Wilko – £10.90 without 3 for 2 offer/£7.85 with
- Tesco – £10.50 without Clubcard/£8.00 with
- Asda – £11 without 3 for 2 offer/£8.50 with
- Boots – £10.97 without 3 for 2 offer/£8.98 with
- Superdrug – £11.70 without 3 for 2 offer/£9.45 with
- Sainsbury’s – £13.05 without 3 for 2 offer/£10.25 with
Things to remember
The cost of the seven essentials listed above was based on the cheapest versions of each item available in travel miniature form.
In some cases some items – such as deodorant for example – were less expensive for women than they are for men.
For example the cheapest Nivea deodorant for women is £1.20 in Superdrug’s travel miniatures section, but the men’s equivalent costs £1.50. In Asda however, they are both the same price.
This is worth bearing in mind if you’re buying men’s toiletries ahead of your trip.
Another thing to take on board is while most places will have a 3 for 2 offer on their toiletries, the discount will always apply to the lowest priced items – which means you may not get as big a saving in some place as others.
For example Boots’ own brand travel toothpaste is a bargainous 50p for 20ml – but if that turns out to be your cheapest item you’ll score less of a saving than if you bought a more expensive toothpaste elsewhere.
You should also note that suncream is more expensive than most of the other toiletries on offer, and is not always included in the 3 for 2 deals (certain ones are included in both Boots and Asda).
If the factor of the suncream on offer is lower than you need or usually use, or you are travelling with children and likely to need a larger quantity then a travel sized version may not be your best bet.
However if those do suit your needs (for example you’re travelling alone on a short sunshine break) and you are unlikely to need suncream at other times, it’s potentially a good bet rather than spending more on a bigger bottle you’re unlikely to use.
One last thing to remember about miniatures is that not all of them come in at the £1-£1.50 mark – it depends what you’re buying.
In some cases it can be cheaper to just buy the larger version of the product and decant what you need into reusable travel bottles – such as this set from Boots for example, which costs £9 and is included in the 3 for 2 travel miniatures offer.
This is another good option if you’re looking to keep costs as low as possible, and already have existing toiletries at home you can use on holiday – although given you cannot do this with such items as deodorant, toothpaste, tissues and wipes, travel miniatures may still work out cheaper for products you do need.
MORE : Toiletries everyone nicks from hotel bathrooms to become a thing of the past
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